Packing elements or devices having relatively large surface areas in small volumes are employed in many industrial devices of which packed columns, and cooling towers are examples. In the case of packed towers a large variety of packing shapes have been developed using materials such as stainless steel, plastics, and ceramics. These variations purport to optimize the relevant process, in which they are to be used, by maximizing surface area which facilitates contact and transfer between a liquid and a gas with minimal head loss, maximal liquid flow and retained dimensional stability. U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,915 describes one example of such a shaped packing element.
The present invention provides an alternative packing element that includes a large exposed surface area in a relatively small volume and a method of obtaining the same. This feature is useful in facilitating a number of physical and or chemical processes and reactions where contacting between surfaces covered with different fluids or materials is desired.